Who uses 96W PC as main lights? Need some info..

[SMS76]

Few questions:
If you use 96Watt PC as your main light (2x 96 or 4 x 96):
-> can you please provide some feedback on how you like it or not?
-> What size is your tank.
-> Also what do you keep for coral and how much growth/color u get?
-> Do they get hot? Do you use fan or other cooling?
Thanks

[Oskie]

Yep, I have the PC 96 (2) by Coralife. Yes it does get hot and the fan is a bit noisy. I retroed the fans with a single larger, slower turning fan, but it still produces some heat. On the hot summer days I'm seeing 82-84 degrees F.

The tanks is a 65 gallon breeder (18x36x18). I do have some softies growing in the tank that seem OK. I will probably add a MH pendant to supplement light output at some point. Hope this helps.

[Fiziksgeek]

I have a 135 with 4x96W PC's. Good and bright. Only had them for a few months, batteling a heat issue. I just posted a thread asking about a chiller. I have central AC, and the room never gets above about 78, but my tank has been running around 88.

I have some coral that is doing well. kenya tree coral, grows like a weed. yello finger leather doing well, long tenticled toadstool leather, appears to be doing ok. But like I said, they seem to cause heat in my tank.

I will be reading along looking for the experience of others!

[logman17]

I just tore a tank down with 2x96pc lunar aqualight by coralife.
it was a 47.5 gallon tank. 40x16x16"high

It is hot, as will any with integral ballasts

Fans were semi-noisy, tank was in the living room, but the fans didn't bother anyone too much.

Softy corals grew great, good color. Leather, zoos, kenya tree (grew large under it), frogspawn all did fine

monti caps, and a slimer dodn't like it too much. they had little growth and ok color - really colored up under MH

fixture was well made, ran it for 8-9 months, 14hrs day act, 12 hours 10K - I liked it enough to buy a aqualight pro for the new tank.

I used a chiller, so no comment on the tank heating up.

HTH,

[SMS76]

Thanks guys for replies keep them coming.

Fiziksgeek, what r the dimentions of your tank? my tank is 48 x 18x 31. Yes it's a high tank.

[DrTechnical]

I have a Coralife 96w quad bulb on my 26 gall bowfront. The lights sit about 6 inches off of the water with my custom cabinet and I had to put a heater in because the water was too cool...74-75 with the light off, 77 steady with the light on. reason is I keep my place between 72 and 69(only way to battle heat in Miami).

[The Punisher]

I also have the Coralife 96W power quad light and I love it. I just have one over my 12 gallon tank and have a Monti Cap that's grown about 4 times bigger than when I got him about 4 months ago. My light is about 2 inches off the water in an enclosed hood with no fan and my temp stays below 81-82 all of the time.

[dantodd]

I have a 96w quad coralife on my 10g nano and I've been very happy with it. I don't have A/C so heat is always an issue. It climbs maybe 2 degrees on warm days. I have no A/C so the 95 degree days are killer but since I have no cover on the tank it is bearable.

Zoos, star polyps, mushrooms, coraline all grow nicely. The 'shrooms do better areas toward the ends on the tank with slightly less light.

edit: the fans are occasionally noisy so I'll be replacing them eventually. They are 2.5 years old

[stgla]

I have a 2x96 JBJ formosa, loud fans. I am moving my setup, but before I moved it I had it well above the tank, so it didn't heat up the tank, but I had ventilation problems.

I kept stonies and softies, no SPS.

[Fiziksgeek]

SMS76--my tank is 72x18x24. Most of the things in my tank seem to be tollerating the heat, but I am sure they cant be too happy about it. Even though I can afford it, I am having trouble convincing myself to spend $$$ on a chiller!

[Fiziksgeek]

PS...I see your a EE in Boston? I completed my MSEE at BU last year, now working an a laser development engineer in down in CT.

[SMS76]

Fiziksgeek, sent PM

[mikebon111]

I have 4X96 75% actinic 03, 25% 10K over 55 gallons.All my softies and LPS grow like weeds I even have a few SPS doing great they just don't grow as fast. Actinics run for 12 hours and the 50/50's run for 10 hours.I have two fans that come on with the actinics and I have no heat problems,AC keeps my house at 77 and that's the same temp as my tank.

[Triggerfish]

Originally posted by SMS76
Few questions:
If you use 96Watt PC as your main light (2x 96 or 4 x 96):
-> can you please provide some feedback on how you like it or not?
-> What size is your tank.
-> Also what do you keep for coral and how much growth/color u get?
-> Do they get hot? Do you use fan or other cooling?


i have them on the left side 2x96 10k,actinic - bulbs over 1yr old-
125g
on that side i keep:
candycane - great polyp extension- very plump
frogspawn - great polyp extension
devils hand - not great color - slow growth
colt - slow growth
zoos- some growth
GSP - polyps out daily,,good color
Xenia - nice color - growth has slowed
BTA - some growth,,,not much moving - seems to like the light down low


very very hot
i use a 10" fan for cooling..works well.

[SMS76]

Thanks guys for replies. Any cheap place to buy these lights?

[Triggerfish]

i got mine used locally,,but here ya go not bad deal for $86 shipped.
http://www.aquatraders.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=10

[Snarkys]

hate my 96 PCS i want to replace them with tek5's

http://www.customaquatic.com/customaquatic/subsubcategorypage.asp?subcatindexid=lt-t5-sy